1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dry type electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and, more particularly, to a dry type electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a wasted toner storing apparatus for storing wasted toner generated during image formation.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus completes an image print by forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive medium, developing the electrostatic latent image using a developing agent, and transferring the developed image to a sheet of print paper via a predetermined transfer medium. Of the different types of electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, an apparatus using toner in a powder state as a developing agent is referred to as a dry type electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
FIG. 1 shows one example of a dry type electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a photoreceptor drum 10 as a photosensitive medium, a charger 13 for charging the photoreceptor drum 10, an exposing unit 12 for scanning light onto the charged photoreceptor drum 10 to form an electrostatic latent image, a developing unit 11 for supplying color toner to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, a transferring unit 16 for transferring the toner image to a sheet of print paper S, and a fixing unit 17 for heating and pressing the print paper S to fix the toner image on the print paper S.
In the above image forming apparatus, since a portion of the toner adhered to the electrostatic latent image is not transferred to the print paper S but generally remains on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 10, the remaining toner must be removed from the photoreceptor drum 10 before the next print job. Reference numeral 14 represents a cleaning member. The cleaning member 14 is in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor drum 10 and scrapes off the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 10 by way of the rotation of the photoreceptor drum 10. Wasted toner T removed from the photoreceptor drum 10 is collected in a container, which is indicated by reference numeral 18, and the wasted toner T is transported into a wasted toner container 20 by a transporting unit 15 installed in the container 18.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wasted toner container 20 shown in FIG. 1 in detail.
With reference to FIG. 2, one end of the transporting unit 15 is fixed to an inlet 21 of the wasted toner container 20, and the wasted toner T transported from the container 18 by the transporting unit 15 enters into the wasted toner container 20 via the inlet 21. The wasted toner T free-falls into and accumulates in the wasted toner container 20 due to the force of gravity. However, the wasted toner T is not evenly dispersed inside the wasted toner container 20, and most of the wasted toner T accumulates in the lower portion of the inlet 21. If the wasted toner T has piled up to the upper portion of the inlet 21 as shown in FIG. 2, though enough space for accommodating the wasted toner T exists inside the wasted toner container 20, the wasted toner container 20 cannot accommodate the wasted toner T because the inlet 21 of the wasted toner container 20 is clogged with the wasted toner T. As a result, the wasted toner T removed from the photoreceptor drum 10 is not transported into the wasted toner container 20, and instead the wasted toner T accumulates in the container 18. However, if the capacity of the container 18 for accommodating the wasted toner is exceeded, the wasted toner T leaks outside the container 18, whereby the image forming apparatus can be polluted.
In order to prevent this problem, there has been proposed a first method requiring a user to periodically shake the wasted toner container 20 to disperse the wasted toner T, and a second method of installing an individual wasted toner container driving device (not shown) which disperses the accumulated wasted toner T inside the wasted toner container 20 by vibrating the wasted toner container 20. However, in the first method, since the user must remember the dispersion period of the wasted toner T, this method is not convenient for the user. In a case where the user forgets the dispersion period of the wasted toner T, the wasted toner T leaks.
Further, in the second method, in a case of vibrating the wasted toner container 20, the one end of the transporting unit 15 may be separated from the inlet 21 such that the wasted toner T transported from the container 18 may not enter into the wasted toner container 20, whereby the inside the image forming apparatus may be polluted.